Late paddy harvest delays wheat sowing

The sowing of wheat has started on a limited scale in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, the regions which contribute 85 per cent of the country’s annual production of the main rabi crop.

Officials said the progress is slow in some places because of the late harvest of kharif paddy crop.

However, it is expected to gather momentum in due course, after basmati rice is harvested in Punjab and Haryana and common rice in Uttar Pradesh.

According to the department of agriculture, wheat was sown in 7.66 million hectares till last Friday, almost 11 per cent less than the corresponding period of last year.

 

Officials said there is a marginal fall in area under wheat till now because almost all of agriculture land in which grains are grown in Uttar Pradesh, is occupied with kharif paddy (de-husked rice).

Earlier, farmers used to leave some areas fallow or plant short-duration crops during the kharif season — which was later available for sowing early varieties of wheat. This year paddy has been sown in all the available arable land.

Besides, the kharif paddy crop has not been harvested in many areas, which has delayed the sowing of wheat. In Uttar Pradesh, wheat was sown on around 0.78 million hectares of land till Friday, 62 per cent less than the corresponding period of last year.

However, wheat sowing has started on a brisk note in Madhya Pradesh, the area under the crop being 23 per cent more this year, as against the same period last year. Madhya Pradesh emerged as one of foremost wheat growing states in the country in 2010-2011 and contributed a record six million tonnes of wheat to the central pool. In Punjab, wheat was sown in 2.48 million hectares (-1.1 per cent), while in Haryana it was sown in 1.38 million hectares (13.1 per cent rpt 13.1 per cent) till last week.

Among other crops, the area under mustard seed, the largest oilseed grown during the rabi season, rose by around 5.2 per cent against last year and is 0.9 million hectares less as compared to the normal area under mustard.

Acreage of all other major rabi oilseeds including sunflower is less than last year till Friday.

Pulses continued their impressive march from last week and acreage was almost 7.3 per cent more till Friday as compared to the same period last year.